Panel mounted instrument



Sept. 20, 1966 D. M. HALLERBERG 3,273,836

PANEL MOUNTED INSTRUMENT Original Filed July 29, 1963 INVENTOR. Dan M .HALLEHBERG'.

AT T 3 5.

United States Patent 2 Claims. (Cl. 248-27) The present invention relates to panel mounted instruments, and to lights for indicating the condition of electrical components and/or circuits. This application is a division of my copending application Ser. No. 298,090, filed July 29, 1963.

The primary object of the present invention is the provision of new and improved means for fastening instruments to instrument panels.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an instrument for mounting in a panel, which instrument contains a fuse for an electrical circuit as well as an indicating light which becomes lighted when the fuse is blown;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the instrument of FIG. 1 showing the internal assembly of the instrument positioned endwise of the housing of the instruments;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken approximately on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken approxi mately on the line 44 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken approximately on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

While the invention may be otherwise embodied, it is herein shown and described as included in an instrument which contains a fuse and an indicating light which becomes lighted when the fuse is blown. The instrument is adapted for panel mounting and is so arranged that both the fuse and the indicating light can be removed from the front of the panel and readily replaced. The instrument shown in FIGS. 1-5 comprises: a housing 20 which is installed from the front of a panel; a fuse block 21 which is inserted into the housing from the front of the panel; and a light block 22 which is inserted into the housing in front of the fuse block.

The housing 20 is made from sheet metal to provide an internal chamber 23 of rectangular cross section. The front of the housing 20 has a radially outwardly turned flange 24 which is adapted to abut the front face of an instrument panel 25 (see FIG. 4) while the remainder of the housing projects through an opening in the panel slightly larger than the main portion of the housing.

The housing 20 is held in place by a pair of abutment members 26 which engage the back of the panel and confine the panel 25 between themselves and the front flange 24. In one form of the invention the abutment members each have a forwardly extending portion 27 which comprise approximately a quarter section of a thin walled cylinder, and a rear base portion 28 which has a threaded opening 29 located on the axis or center of the forwardly extending cylindrical portion. The abutment members 26 are preferably located at diagonally opposite side corners of the housing. The base portion 28 of each abutment member threadably engages a machine screw 30 which is positioned longitudinally of the housing adjacent an inside corner thereof to provide means for moving the abutment member relative to the housing. The rear end of the machine screw 30 has a reduced diameter portion 31 which projects through a hole 32 in a respective one of a pair of inwardly turned leaves 33 of the housing. The rear end of each machine screw ice is riveted over behind its respective leaf 33 to prevent longitudinal movement of the machine screw relative to the housing. Openings 34 are provided in the corner portions of the housing 20 forwardly of respective leaves 33, and each opening 34 includes a forwardly extending portion 35 which is adapted to receive the forwardly extending cylindrical quarter sections 27 of the abutments 26 when in one position.

A normal installation of the housing into the panel is made by removing the fuse block 21 and light block 22 and rotating the cylindrical quarter sections 27 through the openings 35 to a position inside of the housing as shown in the lower left-hand corner of FIG. 3. The entire housing may then be inserted into a panel opening only slightly larger than the height and width of the housing. Thereafter, the abutments 26 are rotated clockwise to swing their cylindrical quarter sections 27 externally of the housing. Clockwise rotation of the machine screws 30 thereafter moves the abutment members 26 forwardly to engage the back surface of the panel at the sides of the opening and clamp the panel between the abutment members 26 and the front flanges 24 of the housing.

In the clamping position of the abutments 26, the cylindrical quarter sections 27 are generally centered on a corner so that portions of the cylindrical quarter section overlie both of the side surfaces of the housing 20 which intersect to form the corner. Because the abutments 26 are located at diagonally opposite corners of the housing 20, a portion of one quarter section will engage the portion of the panel extending across the top of housing 20, while a portion of the other abutment 26 will engage the portion of the panel extending along the bot-tom of the housing. Similarly, a portion of the abutment 26 will engage a portion of a panel extending along the left side of the housing, while a portion of the other abutment 26 will engage a portion of the panel extending along the right side of the housing. It is therefore possible to look a plurality of the housings 20 in either a side-by-side arrangement in a single long horizontal opening in a panel wherein the abutments 26 of each housing 20 engage the panel at the top and bottom of each housing; or it is possible to stack a plurality of the housings 20 in a long vertical panel opening wherein the abutments 26 of each housing 20 engage the panel at the opposite sides of each housing.

The housing 20 may receive any suitable electrical components. In the form of the invention shown in the drawings, these electrical components comprise a fuse carrying section designated generally 21 and the light block 22. These components are hinged together at 36 so that the light block 22 may be swung to the position shown in FIG. 2 for the purpose of relamping the unit. Indicating incandescent lamps 37 are inserted in the light block 22 in a known manner. and are illuminated upon failure of a fuse 38 in the manner described in my patent application Ser. No. 298,090. A translucent panel 39 forms the front end of the light block and may be inscribed with any suitable indicia. The base contacts of the lamps 37 engage stationary contacts 40 when the light block is swing up to its normal position and inserted in the housing 20, and the shell contacts of the lamp are connected to a central pin 41 to which a circuit is completed through a flat spiral spring 42 upon failure of a fuse.

It will be apparent that the new and improved means for fastening the instrument to the panel 25 may be applied equally to a housing having a switch or any other mechanism therein, therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the particular embodiments of the invention shown and described, and it is my intention to cover hereby all novel adaptations, modifications and arrangements thereof which come within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A device for mounting in an opening in an instrument panel comprising, a thin walled housing forming an internal chamber having an open front end, a stationary abutment on the outer external surface of said housing adjacent its front end, a lead screw secured in said internal chamber adjacent said wall of said housing, said housing having a recessed area in its sidewall opposite said lead screw, an abutment member comprising a sector of an element whose center is located on the center of said lead screw threadably engaging said lead screw, said abutment member being shaped to lie totally within the recessed area of said housing when in one angular position on said lead screw, and to project out of said recessed area when rotated to another angular position on said lead screw, and said abutment member being movable lengthwise of said housing while projecting out of said recessed area in said housing upon rotation of said lead screw to clamp an instrument panel be- References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1936 Simek 220--36 8/1964 Dellith 292-212 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

J. F. FOSS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR MOUNTING IN AN OPENING IN AN INSTRUMENT PANEL COMPRISING, A THIN WALLED HOUSING FORMING AN INTERNAL CHAMBER HAVING AN OPEN FRONT END, A STATIONARY ABUTMENT ON THE OUTER EXTERNAL SURFACE OF SAID HOUSING ADJACENT ITS FRONT END, A LEAD SCREW SECURED IN SAID INTERNAL CHAMBER ADJACENT SAID WALL OF SAID HOUSING, SAID HOUSING HAVING A RECESSED AREA IN ITS SIDEWALL OPPOSITE SAID LEAD SCREW, AN ABUTMENT MEMBER COMPRISING A SECTOR OF AN ELEMENT WHOSE CENTER IS LOCATED ON THE CENTER OF SAID LEAD SCREW THREADABLY ENGAGING SAID LEAD SCREW, SAID ABUTMENT MEMBER BEING SHAPED TO LIE TOTALLY WITHIN THE RECESSED AREA OF SAID HOUSING WHEN IN ONE ANGULAR POSITION ON SAID LEAD SCREW, AND TO PROJECT OUT OF SAID RECESSED AREA WHEN ROTATED TO ANOTHER ANGULAR POSITION ON SAID LEAD SCREW, AND SAID ABUTMENT MEMBER BEING MOVABLE LENGTHWISE OF SAID HOUSING WHILE PROJECTING OUT OF SAID RECESSED AREA IN SAID HOUSING UPON ROTATION OF SAID LEAD SCREW TO CLAMP AN INSTRUMENT PANEL BETWEEN SAID ABUTMENT MEMBER AND SAID STATIONARY ABUTMENT, THE WALL OF SAID RECESSED AREA BEING ENGAGED BY SAID ABUTMENT MEMBER DURING MOVEMENT THEREOF TOWARDS CLAMPING POSITION. 